New Years Kiss
A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, yet another Lily and James one shot. I adore them so! Anyway, anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling. PLEASE REVIW! Happy New Year! lily
It was December 30th and for the first year since she started at school, Lily Evans was at Hogwarts for the holiday. Her parents had been killed in a drunk driving accident at the end of the summer and her older sister, Petunia, had gotten married the previous December. So Lily had stayed over the break. It was rather a sad holiday, but Lily's friends Alice Stevens and Frank Longbottom had stayed with her and they had done their best to cheer Lily up.
Lily's fellow head James Potter and his three other friends had also stayed over the holiday. Lily and James had become friends over the semester. Lily had also become closer to James's friends, something she had not wanted to do. Lily and Remus were already close friends and had been since first year. But Lily had never had the desire to bond with Sirius or Peter. But with a bit of persuasion from James and Remus, Lily had spent time with the two alone and found that she sincerely enjoyed their company. Well, Sirius anyway. Peter was a bit too clingy to the others for Lily's taste. The seven had all spent the night in the Head Common room on Christmas Eve and most of the day after. James, Sirius and Peter had noticed Lily's sadness but did not know the cause of it. Lily had not confided her sad news with them yet.
James had also suffered a tragedy over the summer. His parents had been quiet old when they had their only son, and even older when they adopted Sirius as their second son when he had run away the summer after his fifth year of school. They had died in their sleep of old age. In their will they left the house to James and split their money between the two boys. Sirius was currently looking for his own apartment despite James's protests.
Lily was currently homeless as her parents had left everything but the better of the two cars to Petunia who had immediately sold the house and car without thinking twice. That had not really surprised Lily; the sisters had been less then close since Lily had left for school for the first time when she was eleven. Now Lily was in a predicament quite like Sirius's.
Lily was in her room reading when Alice bounded in, kissed Lily's cheek and sat by her legs.
"Yes?" Lily asked putting her book down.
"The New Years Eve party thrown by the Marauders is tomorrow night…" Alice started.
"No."
"But Lil…"
"No."
"What are your plans then?" Alice pouted.
"A pint of ice cream, a book and my thoughts." Lily said firmly. Alice scoffed.
"How will you get a New Years Kiss that way?" Alice snorted
" Guess I won't." Lily said unconcerned.
"C'mon Lily! I've put up with your misery all holiday! Come to the party! The rest of the group is…" Alice begged. Lily laughed.
"I sure hope so. Four of them are putting the party on, it can't happen without them… The fifth is Frank, your lovely boyfriend. The sixth will be you. I'm good here for the night." Lily said picking her book back up, assuming Alice was done.
"It would be the perfect time to tell James you like him…" Alice whispered, it was her last resort to bring up Lily's crush.
Lily dropped her book is shock.
"I can't tell him. He doesn't like me anymore." Lily said quietly
"Of course he does! He loves you Lily! Merlin! When are you going to get it through your head? JAMES POTTER LOVES YOU!" Alice was angry now. Lily looked coldly up at Alice.
"Get out. I will not have you come in here demanding things of me! Out! I'll come find you after I cool off…" Lily said coldly. Alice flinched and got miserably to her feet.
"I only meant to…" Alice started at the door, but Lily shut the door in her face.
Lily flopped back on her bed. She knew Alice meant well and was right. Lily did like James. She always had deep down. She had pushed it aside when she had been friends with Severus, she had ignored it for his sake. But after that day at the lake it had become harder to ignore. She liked, possibly even loved, James Potter. But she had seen how he treated girls. He told each that she was special and then he dropped them for the next pretty girl that looked his way. Lily had never had a boyfriend, instead she had always thrown herself into her studies. It had paid off. Lily was top of her class and was doing parts of her Auror studies already. She was to be valedictorian in June. Lily sighed and picked her book up, put it in her cloak pocket and pulled on her heavy winter socks and boots. She tied her Gryffindor scarf around her neck and left her room.
She was on the grounds, under her favorite tree within ten minutes. Lily magiced a swing onto the bottom branch of the tree and sat on the swing, opening her book again. Two hours later a shadow passed over her. Lily frowned. It was only noon; the sun was surely not going down yet. Lily looked up to see James smiling down at her, holding out a mug of Hot Coco. Lily smiled up at him and accepted the drink with a word of thanks. James walked behind Lily and started to push her on the swing.
"What's on your mind?" James asked as Lily swung lightly.
"Fight with Alice earlier. No biggie." Lily sighed as she sipped her coco.
"Make up with her. She's one of your best friends. I for one don't know what I would do without my best friends. What are you doing tomorrow night?" James asked looking down at Lily as she stopped swinging.
"I know she is and I will. Lay in bed with my book and a pint of ice cream, why?" Lily sighed.
"There is going to be a party up in the tower tomorrow night. Most of Gryffindor is coming back early to go to it. You should come. Lots of food and drinks from the Kitchens and the Three Broomsticks. Say you will? Your book and ice cream aren't going anywhere. It's just one night, Lily. I promise to be on my best behavior and I'll even let other boys dance with you for five seconds apiece. Please?" James smiled charmingly down at Lily who laughed.
"Fine. What time?" Lily agreed.
"Eight. It'll be going on till midnight. See you later." James beamed down at Lily and took her empty mug with him back up to the castle. Lily sighed again.
The next night Lily looked around the party. It was absolute chaos and it had only started twenty minutes ago. Suddenly Lily found herself being swept onto the dance floor. She looked up to see Sirius grinning down at her. Lily laughed and rested her head on his chest. Sirius rested his head on top of hers. Lily danced for two hours with what felt like the whole of Gryffindor tower over the age of fourteen. She was dancing with Remus at ten when James tapped him on the shoulder.
"Mind?" James asked. Remus smiled and kissed Lily's hand, letting go of her. James stepped into his place. The two danced slowly and talked occasionally. It was eleven fifty five before Lily knew it. She gulped and looked up into the sparkling brown eyes of James Potter.
"James… I like you. Not so much as a friend anymore. I've always liked you, deep down. I was lying to everyone including myself. But I'm too late now. You've moved on. I just thought you had the right to know…" Lily said as she pulled away from him. Lily ran from the common room, planning to find a deep hole to crawl into and die.
Then James was there. He grabbed her waist and pushed her against the corridor wall.
"Who said I'd moved on? I didn't. I never said that, Lily." James said fiercely looking down at her.
"The fact that you've not asked me out all year." Lily said looking back up at him.
"You always said no, Lily. I figured I would stop pestering you. I never gave up on you. I can't. You complete me. You are my other half. I love you, Lily. I have since first year." James said softly, fingering her curls with one hand, the other still around her waist.
"I love you, James." Lily whispered as the clock struck twelve and she leaned up to kiss him. James kissed her back softly, lovingly.
"Be my girlfriend, Lily?" James asked softly kissing her again.
"Yes, James. Happy New Year." Lily whispered as he kissed her.
"It is indeed." James smiled down at her, kissing het again.